II106 - USM

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   II - 1.06 - POLICY ON THE EMPLOYMENT OF PART-TIME, NON-
          TENURE TRACK INSTRUCTIONAL FACULTY IN THE
                UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF MARYLAND
                              
   (Approved by the Board of Regents on October 11, 2002;
                     technical amendment
                      August 26, 2004)

  I.   PURPOSE

     This policy is designed to govern practices at
     institutions of the University System of Maryland (USM)
     related to search processes, appointments, contracts, and
     conditions of employment for part-time, non-tenure-track
     (PTNTT) instructional faculty to assure high quality of
     instruction by individuals with appropriate credentials
     and experience and to provide a set of baseline policies
     for PTNTT faculty in all USM institutions.
     
  II.  APPLICABILITY

     This policy applies only to faculty members of the USM
     institutions (i) who are employed on a less than full-time
     basis, (ii) who are neither tenured nor eligible for
     tenure, and (iii) whose responsibilities are primarily or
     exclusively in the instructional program.
     
  III. PERCENT OF EFFORT

     The percent of effort of PTNTT faculty members shall be
     based on the definition pursuant to USM Policy II-1.05 and
     shall be calculated either on a semester or an academic-
     year basis, depending on the length of the appointment.
     If the appointment is for an academic year, the
     calculation shall not be done on a semester basis, even
     though there may be disparities between semesters in the
     assigned teaching load.
     
  IV.  RANKS

     BOR Policy (II-1.00) lists the following approved ranks
     that may be used for PTNNT instructional faculty.
     Institutions shall confer on each PTNTT instructional
     faculty member one of the following ranks, as appropriate
     and commensurate with credentials and professional
     experience.  (Institutions are not required to use all
     available ranks.)
       a.   Assistant Instructor
       b.   Lecturer
       c.   Senior Lecturer
       d.   Adjunct Assistant Professor
       e.   Adjunct Associate Professor
       f.   Adjunct Professor

     The University of Maryland University College may also
     assign ranks in the Collegiate series (See USM Policy II-
     1.00, Section II.C.6.a.-d.).
     
  V.   POLICY

       A.   Search

            1.   Credentials.  Each institution shall develop written
               standards for the academic degrees or professional
               certifications and professional experience required for
               appointment to PTNTT instructional faculty ranks.  These
               standards may vary depending on the level of courses to be
               taught.
            2.   Search Procedures.  The institutional president to
               designee shall assure that each department or unit has in
               place written procedures for selecting faculty.  These
               procedures shall include verification of credentials.
               Search procedures shall reflect the commitment of the
               institution and the University System of Maryland to equal
               opportunity and affirmative action.
            
       B.   Hiring

            1.   Contracts/Letters of Appointment.  Each PTNTT faculty
                 member shall be provided with a written contract or formal
                 letter of appointment prior to the beginning of the
                 assignment.  The contract or letter shall state the academic
                 rank, length of appointment, time of service (9 months, 9.5
                 months, one year),  percent of full-time, salary, whether or
                 not the appointment is renewable, nature of the assignment,
                 benefits (if any), and performance-evaluation policies and
                 procedures.  In addition, all contracts/letters of offer
                 shall specify what happens if a course is canceled prior to
                 the start of class.
            2.   Information for Faculty.  Upon signing the contract,
                 the PTNTT faculty member shall have access to the
                 institution's Faculty Handbook, in a written or electronic
                 version.

            3.   Term of Employment.  Initial contracts shall be for a
                 period of one semester, but subsequent contracts may be for
                 longer periods not to exceed three years.

       C.   Working Conditions

             1.   Support for Teaching.  The appointing department or
                 unit shall provide each PTNTT instructional faculty member
                 with the support it determines to be necessary for the
                 execution of the appointee's duties.  Provision should be
                 made for new appointees to attend departmental and
                 institutional orientation sessions.  Support shall also
                 include the following:

                      a.   information on the department's policies, requirements,
                         and goals for each course, along with access to examples of
                         past course syllabi (if available);
                      b.   official schedule of classes, including academic
                         calendar and time frames of class meetings;
                      c.   assistance in ordering textbook(s) for the course(s),
                         ancillaries for the text(s), and office supplies;
                      d.   copying services for course materials;
                      e.   appropriate place for meeting with students during
                         scheduled office hours, except if instruction is completely
                         technology-mediated;
                      f.   an institutional email account along with computer
                         access; and
                      g.   telephone access.

               2.   Professional Development.  Professional development
                 opportunities for PTNTT instructional faculty should be
                 supported to the extent possible.  This may include
                 extending invitations to departmental, institutional, and
                 external faculty development events.
               3.   Teaching Assignment.  The appointing department or unit
                 shall provide PTNTT faculty with reasonable and adequate
                 notice of projected teaching assignments prior to the start
                 of classes.  Notice of 45 days is suggested.
               4.   Performance Evaluation.  The institutional president or
                 designee shall assure that each department or unit has in
                 place written procedures for evaluating faculty performance
                 on a regular schedule, as required by Board of Regents'
                 Policy II-1.20.  Departments shall evaluate the teaching of
                 PTNTT faculty members on the same basis used to evaluate the
                 teaching of tenure-track faculty members.
                 Evaluations shall be kept on record in a
                 personnel file and shall be consulted when
                 decisions about promotion, salary, and any
                 subsequent contract are made.
               5.   Faculty Participation.  PTNTT faculty members shall be
                 integrated into the scholarly, intellectual, academic, and
                 social life of the department or unit, and institution.
                 Institutional shared-governance procedures shall include
                 PTNTT faculty.
               6.   Salaries.  Every effort should be made to make salaries
                 professionally appropriate and competitive to the extent
                 allowed by available fiscal resources.
               7.   Benefits.  PTNTT instructional faculty contracts and
                 letters of appointment shall include a written statement of
                 benefits available to the appointees.  Appointees shall be
                 provided with access to relevant BOR policies governing the
                 provision of those benefits to USM faculty and staff.  PTNTT
                 instructional faculty in their fifth semester of appointment
                 at 50% time or more shall be eligible for the benefits
                 listed in sections 7.a. and 7.b, subject to the terms of the
                 policies cited.

                 a.   USM Benefits

                        (i)  Tuition remission for faculty member (see USM Policy
                             VII-4.10);
                       (ii)  Tuition remission for dependents (see USM Policy VII-
                             4.20);
                      (iii)  Family and medical leave (see USM Policy II-2.31);
                       (iv)  Annual Leave (see USM Policy II-2.40);
                        (v)  Earned sick leave (see USM Policy II-2.30);
                       (vi)  Collegial sick leave (see USM Policy II-2.30);
                      (vii)  Personal leave (see USM Policy II-2.40);
                     (viii)  Leave for jury service (see USM Policy II-2.50);
                             and
                       (ix)  Leave without pay (see USM Policy II-2.20).
                             Part-time non-tenure-track faculty shall be
                             ineligible for sabbatical leave or for terminal
                             leave, regardless of length of service.
               
                b.  Institutional Benefits.  Institution-
                    controlled benefits provided to part-time
                    tenured and tenure-track faculty and their
                    spouses and dependent children.
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